Edney, Beatie

Highlander

This 1986 fantasy/action thriller has since spawned two sequels, a popular syndicated TV series, numerous comic-book spinoffs, and a loyal (if somewhat oddly obsessive) following of fans. Directed by music video veteran Russell Mulcahy (which explains the dizzying camera work), the original theatrical release made hash of an intriguing story about an "Immortal" from 16th-century Scotland (Christopher Lambert) who time-leaps to modern-day America with his archenemy (Clancy Brown) in hot pursuit. It becomes a battle to the death (yes, Immortals can die), and Lambert seeks survival training from an Immortal mentor played by Sean Connery. Dazzling, energetic, and altogether confusing in its original form, the film has since been released on video, laserdisc, and DVD in this revised widescreen "director's cut," with additional footage, director and producers' commentary, a photo and artwork archive, the original trailer, and an official time line of the film's evolution from script to screen. A must for Highlander fans ... and you know who you are! --Jeff Shannon

Prime Suspect 4

Helen Mirren is Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison who is promoted to Detective Superintendent. In this Fourth series three two-hour episodes are included: The Lost Child, Inner Circles, The Scent of Darkness.

Lost Empires (3 DVD Set)

This extraordinary Masterpiece Theatre featured production based on the novel by JB Priestley, and featuring one of the last performances of Sir Laurence Olivier, takes you to the last days of Britain's innocence and the glamorous, magical world of the great music halls - which once brought entertainment to millions. In 1913, young Richard Herncastle, played by Colin Firth, escapes from a stuffy, provincial English background into the glitter and excitement of the theatre world. Funny, sad, and nostalgic, Lost Empires, follows Richard from his naïve, country upbringing to join his uncle Nick Ollanton, a famous music hall illusionist - known as the Indian Magician, Ganga Dun. The mystery of illusions, on and off the stage, is eventually shattered for Richard, whose dream of becoming a famous painter becomes sidetracked while he contends with men gone nearly insane, the lusts of countless women, and a murder that hangs over his head. As Lost Empires opens, looming on the horizon is World War I, which will destroy so much of Britain's tradition, including the great era of the Empire music hall. Soon the cinema will replace the eccentric and colorful performers whose home is the world of variety.

Highlander (The Immortal Edition)

This 1986 fantasy/action thriller has since spawned two sequels, a popular syndicated TV series, numerous comic-book spinoffs, and a loyal (if somewhat oddly obsessive) following of fans. Directed by music video veteran Russell Mulcahy (which explains the dizzying camera work), the original theatrical release made hash of an intriguing story about an "Immortal" from 16th-century Scotland (Christopher Lambert) who time-leaps to modern-day America with his archenemy (Clancy Brown) in hot pursuit. It becomes a battle to the death (yes, Immortals can die), and Lambert seeks survival training from an Immortal mentor played by Sean Connery. Dazzling, energetic, and altogether confusing in its original form, the film has since been released on video, laserdisc, and DVD in this revised widescreen "director's cut," with additional footage, director and producers' commentary, a photo and artwork archive, the original trailer, and an official time line of the film's evolution from script to screen. A must for Highlander fans ... and you know who you are! --Jeff Shannon

A Handful of Dust

Adapted from Evelyn Waugh's Jazz Age satire, A Handful of Dust is a brutal story of a failed marriage with shattering consquences. James Wilby stars as a country gentleman, Tony Last, who loves rattling around his expansive estate, Hetton Abbey. Tony's wife, Brenda (Kristin Scott Thomas), however, pines for London's excitement and commences an affair in the city with penniless aristocrat John Beaver (Rupert Graves). The fallout of Brenda's betrayal includes a family tragedy and creative divorce settlement ultimately undone when fed-up Tony goes on a naturalist trek through Brazil and becomes the hostage of a mad, illiterate explorer (Alec Guinness). One might wonder whether it's more appropriate to laugh or tremble at these events, and director Charles Sturridge's handsome, graceful production ingeniously accomodates the story's streaks of dark comedy and horror. With brief, memorable supporting roles for Anjelica Huston and Stephen Fry. --Tom Keogh

The year is 1932 and Tony and Brenda Last (James Wilby and Kristin Scott Thomas), a devoted and attractive couple with one son, John Andrew, appear to live an idyllic life in the huge Victorian Gothic house which is the symbol of Tony's family pride. One weekend they inadvertently play host to John Beaver (Rupert Graves), an idle young socialite. It is the chance arrival of this penniless scrounger which irrevocably shatters the gentle balance of their lives.

Highlander: Director's Cut 10th Anniversary Edition

This 1986 fantasy/action thriller has since spawned two sequels, a popular syndicated TV series, numerous comic-book spinoffs, and a loyal (if somewhat oddly obsessive) following of fans. Directed by music video veteran Russell Mulcahy (which explains the dizzying camera work), the original theatrical release made hash of an intriguing story about an "Immortal" from 16th-century Scotland (Christopher Lambert) who time-leaps to modern-day America with his archenemy (Clancy Brown) in hot pursuit. It becomes a battle to the death (yes, Immortals can die), and Lambert seeks survival training from an Immortal mentor played by Sean Connery. Dazzling, energetic, and altogether confusing in its original form, the film has since been released on video, laserdisc, and DVD in this revised widescreen "director's cut," with additional footage, director and producers' commentary, a photo and artwork archive, the original trailer, and an official time line of the film's evolution from script to screen. A must for Highlander fans ... and you know who you are! --Jeff Shannon

Onassis: The Richest Man in the World

Hard Times

Poirot - The Mysterious Affair at Styles

The murderer isn't the only one with a secret to hide in this television adaptation of Agatha Christie's first novel. With the (often unwitting) help of his friend Arthur Hastings (Hugh Fraser), retired Belgian supersleuth Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) arranges the pieces of a puzzle, which include a broken coffee cup, spilled candle grease, untidy mantel ornaments, a fake beard, and a chief suspect who seems almost eager to be arrested.

Place all these clues on the grand estate of a murdered matriarch as World War I draws to a close, and you have not only a fine mystery but also a quiet elegy to a way of life that would soon fade away. What this adaptation sacrifices in the romantic intrigues that flesh out the novel, it makes up for in setting. As with all the Poirot episodes, there is a sumptuous attention to detail, from the furnishings of Styles Court to the white spats on Poirot's shoes as he interrupts a military war game to give his fellow Belgians a lesson on local botany. Suchet's characterization of Poirot here verges on caricature at times, but it is still difficult to resist his charms as he skillfully peels away the layers of deception to reveal the truth.

The DVD special features include biographies of David Suchet and Agatha Christie, challenging Poirot trivia questions and classic quotes, and a link to the official Agatha Christie Web site. --Larisa Lomacky Moore

Mister Johnson

British East Africa, 1923. Harry Rudbeck, an ambitious army officer, wants to build a road to bring the outside world to the backwater town where he is posted. Struggling to find ways around Foreign Service bureaucracy, he relies on his resourceful African clerk, Mr. Johnson. But when Johnson's can-do attitude runs afoul of British law, Rudbeck must make a painful decision. The film is deliberately paced, and the topnotch cinematography, art direction, and soundtrack all conspire to immerse you into the sweltering heat of East Africa. Maynard Eziashi gives winning performance as Johnson, a man so intent on becoming important that it destroys him. Like many of director Bruce Beresford's movies, this is a clear-eyed look at the way a collision of two cultures can lead to tragedy. Rudbeck must ultimately face the fact that his own ambition leads to the death of his friend, and Pierce Brosnan (as Rudbeck) and Beresford refuse to sentimentalize the man at all. Among Beresford's films, this is much closer in tone to Breaker Morant than to the kinder, gentler Driving Miss Daisy. --Geof Miller